Is a logbook necessary

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Foxy

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I see lots of posts concerning the 'legal' requirements and 'official document' nature of logbooks.

I understand the commercial requirements, the HF radio requirements etc and the likelihood of legal acceptance of a small yacht's logbook etc., but for a non commercial vessel, what exactly is the law here? Can anyone quote the relevant marine law act?
My understanding is that, unless you are over 25T or not a pleasure vessel, you dont need to actually have one at all under UK law.

Just a thought.....

Cheers

Patrick
 
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The rules are tucked away in the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and associated Statutory Instruments. It is true that ships under 25 GRT and pleasure yachts are exempt from the requirement to carry an "Official Log Book". But you will know that the "OLB" is not quite the same thing as your yacht's deck log as purchased from the local chandler (or ruled up in an old school exercise book). Under SOLAS chapter V you are legally required (any vessel) to complete a voyage plan when navigating outside (broadly) port limits). It might be most convenient to keep your formal record of meeting this requirement in your deck log. In any event, when the snow is piled up against the window your deck log can be an excellent record of of your voyaging in sunnier times so is probably worth keeping anyway.
 
Foxy said:
I see lots of posts concerning the 'legal' requirements and 'official document' nature of logbooks.

I understand the commercial requirements, the HF radio requirements etc and the likelihood of legal acceptance of a small yacht's logbook etc., but for a non commercial vessel, what exactly is the law here? Can anyone quote the relevant marine law act?
My understanding is that, unless you are over 25T or not a pleasure vessel, you dont need to actually have one at all under UK law.

Just a thought.....

Cheers

Patrick
Click to expand...

All trips should be logged along with who was aboard, conditions, destination, hours engine was run, fuel used, list of pre start checks and final stop checks completed.

A logbook well kept will also contain service history, parts and part numbers used, voyage history giving some indication of what conditions and speeds have been experienced. History of engine and other services, breakdowns and reminders for regular maintenance items. List of modifications done and any hull deck repairs, what materials have been used, like types of paint and antifoul used and perhaps how well they worked or not.

Information valuable for you and any prospective buyer.

All very valuable stuff when selling.

Avagoodweekend......:)
 
I like to keep one so I can pretend I'm a real captain and make important-looking entries such as:

"Vessel cleared from Cowes for Osborne Bay. Crew employed holystoning the decks. Issued lime-juice to all hands. Sighted another sailing vessel in afternoon. Etc."
 
Whilst enduring -14C nights last week, I curled up in front of the fire and relived the whole of 2009 through my log book.

2 May 2009

10.30 - Left harbour, turned right, tootled around a bit.

13.00 - Returned to harbour.

3 May 2009

11.15 - Left harbour, turned left, tootled around a bit.

12.58 - Returned to harbour.

23 May 2009

08.35 - Left harbour, turned left, tootled around a bit.

11.17 - Returned to harbour.

Etc, etc.

Heaven!
 
Well as your logbook entry is acceptable as a witness in any court of law, you'd be foolish not to keep a logbook (up to date)!

I keep mine up to date concerning all things boaty and crew wise. I also keep a separate engine log showing hours run, bunkering, and all maintenance and part numbers I use often.

Its your call if you don't want to keep one.

Fair winds
 
I'm not sure about a legal requirement, but a contemperous record of some sort is vital: Last Saturday evening, the gas-bottle ran out whilst dinner was being cooked and the spare hadn't been re-filled; it was only after making reference to the Log that SWMBO accepted that it was her turn to go and swap it.
 
Ariadne said:
Well as your logbook entry is acceptable as a witness in any court of law, you'd be foolish not to keep a logbook (up to date)!

I keep mine up to date concerning all things boaty and crew wise. I also keep a separate engine log showing hours run, bunkering, and all maintenance and part numbers I use often.

Its your call if you don't want to keep one.

Fair winds
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Yup we do exactly as above. As stated it is invaluable in a court of law and also for any insurance claim.

Fair winds

Peter
 
While a ship's log is a legally required document, with penalties for false entries, would my scribbled jottings be accepted as fact in a court, and that there is no possibility I might not be telling the absolute truth in my log?

My own record of events might be biased in my favour....

If I write in my log that I have checked my navigation lights, for example, it doesn't necessarily follow I have actually done so.
 
I keep two logbooks, three if the 'deck log' is counted! None are legally required but all are useful:-

1) Deck Log. This is my own spreadsheet concoction for use on passages and which is used to fill in the 'Ship's Log' later so that the entries are actually readable.

2) Ship's Log. This is the Sowester Marine version bound log book used for major passages, ie cross Channel foreign or offshore say more than 10-12 hours. We record engine hours on filling fuel. In practice often the entries are very minimal as we are running 2 electronic plotters that record tracks and a Yeoman used on longer trips to put positions on a paper chart.

3) Narrative Log. This is like a diary and has entries for whenever we are on board, where we went, what we did etc. We post pictures in here, also postcards of places visited, restaurant receipts and comments, useful business cards (all restaurant ones kept in back pages) plus fuel receipts & notes of engine hours when filled and gph, gas bottle changes & how many remain etc.

The most interesting and useful is the narrative log and we have these going back many years.

We were once asked by French Customs who boarded us off Cherbourg on our way home, to show them the log, I think because they had newbies under training. The guy that read it asked what 'crash bang wallup & we do this for fun?' meant! SWMBO was navigator and the entry was made with a F7 upwind in our then Westerly 33 going over to Cherbourg on the Friday night wine run. They are interested to see where you come from so just as easily we could have showed the track on the plotter or the chart.
 
rivonia said:
Yup we do exactly as above. As stated it is invaluable in a court of law and also for any insurance claim.

Fair winds

Peter
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As most leisure cruising logs are written after the event, a good barrister would be able cast doubt on the validity of an apparently contemporaneous running log being a fair record of events as they happen.

Even I could run up a decent set of notes to back up my case after an incident.
 
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For the record (log)
We do actually keep one! ALthough I will shortly expand it to include Twister Ken's suggestion!

Some years ago, I was berated by a YM examiner, who told me that the crew list wasn't totally up to date in the log an that (as the instructor) I was breaking the law. Nicely, he did this in front of the people being examined, so I didn't feel it right to argue the point - or indeed to give the idea to the newbies that it wasn't a good idea to keep one. However I was reminded of the incident the other day, so thought I'd check my facts.....

Provides a good bit of marina sailing and engine records, whatever else it does, so I'm all for it. Although obviously if asked by same examiner again, I shall say that I ate it and if he would like to hang around a bit.... I'm not bitter.....
 
Ariadne said:
Well as your logbook entry is acceptable as a witness in any court of law, you'd be foolish not to keep a logbook (up to date)!


Fair winds
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I can't see why a Logbook on a pleasure vessel would be acceptable as a witness in any court of law. There is no legal requirement to keep one or fill it in, they are not signed or witnessed. I bought mine in the pound shop it's not bound and doesn't say ships log on it:rolleyes: Sometimes I remember to fill it in, sometimes I don't other times I fill it in on the next trip when I remember that I forgot to do it the previous time. I might have a hat that says captain on it but it would hold as much credibility in court.
 
The question as to legal requirement would appear to have been answered.

As a general comment, although our instruments maintain an electronic log, we like to maintain a handwritten log for three reasons. We want somewhere to write down weather forecasts, tides and the like; we think a requirement to enter progress details regularly helps the On Watch to maintain alertness; and the record is useful when composing narratives and the like. At a later date we include a few phographs. We are somewhat relaxed whilst coast hopping for a few hours, but when on passage ask for an entry every hour coupled with a physical plot of position as a logic check.

We have never found a bound book which suits our purpose and use a loose leaf clip file containing A4 sheets, only the current sheet occupying space on the chart table. The sheet uses an Excel layout to record salient details on one side and our passage planning on the reverse.
 
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